Dick Van Dyke’s Wife Arlene Silver Says 46-Year Age Gap Is ‘Irrelevant’: ‘Don’t Think About It’

To Dick Van Dyke and his wife, Arlene Silver, having a 46-year age gap between them is not such a big deal. The couple, who got married in 2012, opened up about what makes their relationship so special after more than a decade together.

“We were friends for so long that when I told people that I know, they were happy about [our relationship], and I was scared,” Arlene, 52, told Entertainment Tonight in an interview published on Tuesday, July 16. “I mean, the facts, our age difference. But it’s so irrelevant. I think when you see us together, it’s like you don’t think about it.”

Dick, 98, had a playful response to his wife’s comment, saying, “I was fortunate that I didn’t grow up.” Known for his vibrant persona and age-defying roles over the span of more than seven decades in Hollywood, Dick was thrilled to find love when he least expected it.

The pair discussed how they first met when Dick saw Arlene, a makeup artist, at the SAG Awards in 2006.

“I never approached a strange woman in my life,” the Mary Poppins actor gushed. “And she walked by and I jumped and I said, ‘Hi, I’m Dick.’ I had no idea she was half my age. Beautiful.”

Dick celebrated his 98th birthday on December 13, 2023, with a special CBS tribute, Dick Van Dyke 98 Years of Magic. Celebrities came together to honor the legendary performer with a night full of special appearances, singing, dancing and clips from the archives.

On his milestone birthday, the Chitty Chitty Bang Bang actor looked back on his remarkable life and career.

“You think, ‘I don’t deserve this,’ but it’s difficult to say how I felt,” he told People at the time. “I came home, and I said, ‘You know something? It’s going to be a couple of days before this actually sinks in that it happened.’ I never expected that kind of recognition. My whole life went before me. I didn’t realize I had done so many things while I was 75 years in show business.”

Above all, his marriage to Arlene has brought him pure joy, as the pair love spending time together at home.

“I just went up and said, ‘Hi, I’m Dick.’ I don’t know how I got the courage,” he said of meeting his partner. “Anyway, we ended up married. She sings like an angel. She dances, and we do a whole act together. We do duets and things. She’s the best partner I ever ran into. What a pleasure it is.”

Dick is a father to four children, Christian, Barry, Carrie Beth and and Stacy, whom he welcomed with late ex-wife Margie Willett. The Broadway icon explained how fatherhood inspired him to work even harder in his career.

“I think if I hadn’t had kids, I would still be back in my hometown,” he told Closer. “I was like a lot of guys from the Depression who said, ‘My kids are going to have it better than I did.’”